Gateways and Hubs

Gateways and hubs refer to a rather similar elements of the spatial structure of flows. However, the concept of gateway tends to be more restrictive in its definition. While a hub is a central location in a transport system with many inbound and outbound connections of the same mode, a gateway commonly imply a shift from one mode to the other (such as maritime / land). A gateway is performing an intermodal function while a hub is mostly transmodal. Transport corridors are commonly linking gateways to the hinterland. Gateways also tend to be most stable in time as they often have emerged at the convergence on inland transport systems while the importance of a hub can change if transport companies decide to use another hub, as common in the airline industry. Thus, a location can at the same time be a gateway and a hub.

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